Thursday, September 11, 2008

Not So MINI Anymore.

Yesterday, MINI released official concept photos of its long-rumored crossover SUV. Dubbed the MINI Crossover Concept, the vehicle will be making its physical debut at the Paris Motor Show. It sports a variety of unique door arrangements, which in my opinion is an awesome way to keep folks guessing as to what the production model will finally look like.

Aesthetically, I love the proportions. It looks very MINI, though it will be their largest vehicle to date. And as far as the door arrangement goes, I hope the production model, tentatively called the Crossman, will have rear doors that slide backward on both sides. (Like on the driver side of the Crossover Concept.) And I hope it has double barn doors in the back, like the current Clubman. But that’s just me. Here's a link to some killer concept sketches.

My MINI sources tell me that the production version is already undergoing serious offroad tests in South America and that it will be manufactured at the same plant as the BMW X3. Wouldn’t it be so totally aws if you could choose your door arrangement as one of your options!?!